GRAVEDIGGER V

GRAVEDIGGER V

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

The Health of Your Music Scene VS. Social Networks

     This is in no way meant to be an anti-technology anti-social networks rant. As I also use them at times for various reasons. It is merely my personal observations & experiences as I have been in a working/touring band for the last 30 years. Hopefully this will draw some attention to some red flags and alarming facts that are the by-products of how music is exposed , marketed , and promoted. I sincerely hope that you will ponder the "big picture"and the state that music scenes are heading towards.
The Big Picture

PUNK IS DEAD - it died along time ago ...
       Let me clue you in on something. As soon as corporations and business found away to market "punk rock" to the masses, it died! Buddy if you don´t understand what I´m talking about then you probably never will.
1. DEATH TO LIVE MUSIC, VENUES, LOCAL RECORD STORES, AND TOURING BANDS
     From what I can see the music industry and everything associated with the industry from bookers to venues, record labels etc ... has succeeded in reducing an endangered species, people!
    People who have enough passion to cultivate a strong and vibrant music scene, who care not only about the artist but also understand the need for an alternative to the crap that is offered to us today. Support from a "thumbs up" icon is not any kind of viable support.
    Support is attending alternative events that are going to benefit the local music and art scenes. Understanding that under minding other events and functions, IE: jealousy of other venues, bookers, and bands just play right into the hands of the local city government, who are more concerned with revenue than nurturing a thriving performing arts enviroment.
     If you have the mind set that it´s a competition, then your probably a part of the problem. You really need to understand that kind of attitude will, in the long run sabotage the efforts of those who understand that individual success is a win for the community. Now these "suits" with their masters degrees in business and marketing, strategy teqniques, corporate sponsors, publicists with mission statements, board of directors with investors and local politicians are now in charge.

    Now companies like "Samsung" are the parent companies of "Universal Music Group" and "B.M.G." are now running things. It is these same people, who have no love or interest in the arts and not a single creative bone in their body, are now the ones who dictate what music is performed, the format that you listen to it with, and last but not least, how you purchase it.
 A win for the community



    The power mongers are now in control and if there is one thing that they DO understand is that music, (whatever the gendre) is a multi billion dollar international industry. This will always be the main motivation and element in their manipulation of the music industry.
    From "Ramones" t-shirts sold in stores like "Zara" to the "Vans Warp Tours", not to mention the new "Summer Cochella Festival Collection" sold at "H&M". The business will always supersede the community! The fact is that it won´t get any better without a fight and action, along with support, other than "Facebooks" placebo support.
 
   3. WE NEED THAT KIND OF SUPPORT
        LIKE WE NEED AN IRON GIRDLE !!!

   Ok ! So let´s use "Facebook" as an example. I use social media for some of my projects and sure I have increased my exposer by 300%. I have about 10,000 followers and friends in total. But support in the form of anything concrete or usable has just gotten progressively worse in the last Ten Years. Pressing a "like" button or marking "is attending" ( even if the event is in N. Korea ) is not support, to be quite blunt. Before "social network" sites we used to support by going to a show with some friends, paying the 5$ entrance, having a few drinks or whatever, and maybe purchasing something from the "merch table. HAHAHA ! That old fashion way of "networking" is pretty funny huh? But the cold, hard truth of the matter is this ...
   If your group can get from One to (let´s say) Five Hundred persons to attend, I believe that within the next Five Years there will NOT be anymore open venues or festivals that will book your group unless you can bring in at least One Thousand paying people. Even if you have a good following and some success, touring will be out of the question because of financial impossibilities. Do people really spend a Thousand bucks on a Weekend at a festival like SXSW?

   4. PROVIDING CYBER TECHNOLOGY TO A " I WANT; WHAT I WANT; WHEN I WANT IT; AND I WANT IT NOW GENERATION, IS LIKE RECOMENDING A CRACKHEAD FOR A POSITION GUARDING SHIPMENTS FROM "PABLO ESCOBAR"



    Now I would hope that these issues would raise a red flag of concern. If you don´t know the age-old adage, " no one rides for free", then your still a youngster. Seriously though , we are losing so many important rights and freedoms! Technology has now gone and passed religion as "the opiate of the masses". What the hell does a Eight Year old kid need an Eight Hundred dollar "smart" phone for?
     Generally speaking I see some really dangerous issues starting to raisr their ugly heads. Alarmingly person to person contact and physical interaction is being replaced by an inter-net relationship and a false reality. Does the public really feel that the proceved positives attributed to the "world wide web" really out number the negatives? Does the general public realize how quickly a fertile and easy hunting ground for pedifiles, stalkers, terrorists, liars, fakes and frauds has been created? Do you really think that you are not being monitored? I myself refuse to compromise and give up the things that are important to me like music, art, litature, and hands on experiences. I believe that without some effort and work, passion for anything can not be achieved and eventually leads to a devaluation and an enviroment of lethargcey.

   Perssonally I will support, help save, and if possible, improve these kind of bleak scenarios. I will try at the very least as opposed to doing nothing, complaining, and pointing fingers.
   I sincerely hope that you will take a few min. to reflect on some of these things I have touched upon. I also want to encourage you to embrace change and keep "kicking against the pricks"!!

    Cause that´s what ya do when your hearts punk rock ...


                       - L. Koizumi
                                                       June 2015